L. A. Street Racing Archive late 70's to ?

What Saturday works for you guys for Starbucks? They usually meet from 7 to around 10.

Rickys and Ronnys is a 50's type diner in Harbor City, on the corner of Sepulveda and Normandie. It is partially owned by Ron of Shaver Racing Engines. Anyways, they have a cool clubhouse that is located on the premises that you can rent out. There was an OCIR reunion last year, where people brought their old cars, tons of pictures and their racing stories out. Maybe we can do something there at a later date. I still see Smitty, Fast Ray, Mark Washington, and the South Bay guys, getting gas or shooting the shit at HRP in Torrance.

 

SoCal Merc Starbucks works but I'am working Sat. till the end of May. Cyclone Kevin just started up a new cruise night at the new Torrance Bob's on Wed. nights, the owner of that one just purchased Harveys Broiler (see CKev Post saving the Broiler) he really made a big contribution to all of us and spread the love to Torrance, lets see if we can support him.

Rickys & Ronnys sounds good and it seems that HRP could also be a good reunion spot if they would allow it..

 

O.K. lets see some old pics of our cars from those days and even now, I have a few of my old cars I will try to scan them and post them this weekend, you won't remember me but maybe some of my cars ??????

 

Scott, I'm with you on Bob's Big Boy. I live 2 blocks from Starbucks, but I would much rather drive to Bob's and support someone who is trying to support us also, not to mention it was the hangout in Westchester that this started from. Sorry SoCAlMerc, but I'm thumbs down on Ricky & Ronnies. PM me if you or Ron want to know why. Wednesday at Bob's has got my vote.

 

Man, Thats an awesome story !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I"m for Bobs Wednesday night also. Hate Starbucks, don't like coffee, and hate thier prices...
And all the memories of Bobs would bring it all back. Well.....

 

Bob's is right around the corner from TrickVic, so when it gets hot this summer, bring your trunks and we can invade his pool. What do you say Vic

 

I don't care what night it is.. just let me know so I can fill Steve's bottle for him so he is ready !!!! Vic, how r u doing ? boy, I had a real nice car come through the shop today, a original 66 GT350 Mustang.. 4 gear of course, just like it came from Shelby, shit, this must of been a $100,000 car.. hey, cornernfool, no dirt tracks at the new Bob's.. maybe we can still doze the old location and build you a track there..if you ever get the car finished !!!!!

 

I dirt tracked at the Bobs in Westchester one of those nights many moons ago Guy858. One of the girls I was dating had a big 3/4 ton Chevy 4x4 that we took out in that field. Everything was great until the battery jumped in the fan. No poon that night.

 

I like Bobs Torrance on some Wednesday night next month.

 

Offroading, I remember that 63-64 Mercury CornerFool and I watched drive in the dirt feild behind Castle golf, off of Vail. They use to race there too. Also known as TRW. The kid broke a tie rod and some how the damn thing caught fire after he left to go get a tow truck. It was the weirdest thing ever.

 

Your choice..... The cruises are the first and third Wednesdays at Bob's...........

 

It was 78' or 79', Bottle Bob had blown the motor in his Vette. He needed a car and asked me if I wanted to trade my 75' Monza for his Vette minus motor. Knowing I could never afford a Vette, I jumped at the deal. Bob even loaned me his wife's (Fran) Dodge Dart to get to work until I got another daily driver.

I had a 454, that I had pulled from my 65' Malibu before I sold it. I put the motor on a dolly and pushed it over to his house. Worked on the Vette, all day, then drove it to the street races that night. I got into a race with a 900 Kawasaki and won, but it took 4 lanes to slow the Vette down. After that race, I tore the Vette apart and rebuilt the suspension and engine. Once that was squared away, I stripped the Vette down to bare glass and fixed the cracks. Painted it gun metal grey and redid the interior. It took about 6 months to complete.

The first Saturday night, I brought the Vette out, I got a race with a 57' Chevy I met at Glenoaks and Peoria. The guy wanted heads up, but he had to drop his girlfriend off. Yeah, right!. Word was, he went to hook up his nitrous bottle.

We met on Wentworth for the race and Bottle Bob started the race. When the hands dropped, I pulled out a car length. I kept watching the front end of the 57' Chevy out of the corner of my eye. It never seem to accelerate any harder, so I just gave it enough gas to stay 1/2 car length ahead. After the race, the valve train was tapping. So Bob and I headed for an empty lot to check the engine out. The locknuts on the rockers had backed off. Bob ran home and got a set of stock rocker nuts and balls. We readjusted the valves and went looking for another race.

One of the faster cars was a 70' Dodge Dart with a wedge owned by a gal named Mary. I offered her 8 cars but she wouldn't race. Nuts, that was the last chance to race that evening........

 

Groucho .... was this car White ? I t sounds very familair ... do you ever talk to the guy with the red 70 vette anymore ?

 

I heard about Gilespie from a kid I worked with. He lived in Inglewood and told me about Bob's. I told Bottle Bob I was gonna check it out, so we drove from the valley to Bob's. Walking around, I run into a guy with a camaro and ask him if he wanted to race a Vette. He said he needed 3 car lengths. I said sure, but this isn't the camaro with a tunnel ram is it? He just laughed.

We get to the spot off of Lincoln, I believe. The camaro's crew is there mounting slicks and taking off the hood. I look, it's the tunnel ram. I tell Bob that the camaro is suppose to be pretty fast. They line up and the camaro does a burnout. Then dry hops, yanking the front wheels. Bob does a burnout and a dry hop. Bob is on Caldwell tires.

The camaro took the inside lane, next to the center median. The hands drop, the camaro yanks the front wheels and comes down on the center median. The Vette flies by, when the camaro gets out of it and can't catch the Vette.

After that race, we drive home..........

 

I'm down for the 3rd Wednesday of the month, how about the rest of ya?

 

That will be May 21st. I'm in, and I will see who else I can drag down there......

 

What Time ???

 

Third Wed is good for me, I'll let Tark and Headrush know. Let's say 7pm???
But I'll need someone to remind me that day, cause I can't remember shit any more. Is this a bring your hot rod night thing??

 

So we're talking May 21st for the next Cruise Night. 7 Pm..

 

I still have a video copy of when " 2 on the Town " did a report on Street Racing and was filming on the north end of San Fernando Rd. There were a few of the regulars taped and/or interviewed

 

It sure is TrickVic, so surprise us with something would ya. And none of that foriegn crap.

 

My Camaro was ice-blue, and the "Thing" was black primer. Yes, I still see the guy in the red Vette(Bottle Bob)

 

Check your PM's!! I was interviewed for that, and scared the fuck out of a photographer that wanted to film from the back seat of my car. When I hit the Nitrous, that fucker screemed like a girl. I mean he was beggin me to stop. And I never saw it on TV. PS-I was made aware of the "shoot" back then by my good friend Larry Dixon who drives Top Fuel for the Snake

 

I was thinking of the other Red Vette .... " Bud "

I got your PM and will get a copy sent out to you ....

 

Oh yeah, me and Bud was roomates years ago. I talk to him every once in a while too. He still has that Vette, and it's really quick. High 9's, with a small block NO NITROUS! And still has independant rear suspension

 

Thats good to hear he got it into the 9's. Was that at LACR or ?? Last I had heard was that he had an exhaust port collapse at the track. I think that was back in '06.

He hated N2O ever since he loaned his " nitrous retard " chip to another racer ( spouse of a P/S motorcycle rider ) forgot about it and burned a few pistons.

I havent talked to him in a few years ... need to try again.

Still working on finding that 2otTown video ...

 

R U talkin about the Stoffers?? Karen and Gary? (PS-bike)

 

not trying to get anyone's juices flowing, but is it any coincidence that torrance Bob's is just about 2 minutes from a long strip of asphalt that parallels an airport and an industrial complex?

 

It sure does, but that's an awful bumpy strip.